Chapter 31 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 62 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 62 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask? To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task. All of which is pure nonsense. Of course. Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?
Chapter 31 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 62 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading “If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?”
-ing form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading “Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?”
animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds
From this reading “If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?”
-ing form of “misbehave” — behave badly
From this reading “Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “All of which is pure nonsense.”
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading “All of which is pure nonsense.”
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading “To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.”
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All of which is pure nonsense.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
-ing form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
one or the other of two
From this reading Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?
at any time
From this reading Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All of which is pure nonsense.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
and nothing more
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
engage in
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
-ing form of “misbehave” — behave badly
From this reading Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading All of which is pure nonsense.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading All of which is pure nonsense.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading To make an egg do what it don't want to do Strikes me like a difficult sort of a task.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading All of which is pure nonsense.
which person or people
From this reading Who ever heard of an egg either behaving or misbehaving?
in the company of; together with
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you had an egg and it wouldn't behave Just what would you do with that egg, may I ask?
Chapter 31 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 62 sentences, grouped into 13 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 31 holds 62 sentences of Blacky the Crow, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 62 sentences, grouped into 13 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 31 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1472 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4979 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4979, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 122 minutes of reading across 295 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blacky the Crow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Blacky the Crow to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Blacky the Crow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
